Clothesline support



April 19, 1949.

O. L. COX

CLOTHESLINE SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 15, 1947 mm vm on ww I n z ent ar 2 Attorneys April 19, 1949 o. 1.. cox

CLOTHESLINE SUPPORT Fi led May 15, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor 0H0 L. Cox

Patented Apr. 19, 1949 CLOTHE SLINE SUPPORT Otto L. Cox, Lima, Ohio, assignor of one-half to Wilbur J. Cox, Lima, Ohio Application May 15, 1947, Serial No. 748,202

2 Claims.-

This invention relates generally to clothesline supports, and more particularly to the type of clothesline support adapted for outdoor use, the novel features of this invention including improved means for anchoring the uprights, and improved means for supporting and tensioning the clothesline.

It is well understood that clothesline supports comprising a pair of spaced upright members having line supporting means at the top thereof have been developed and used, and a patent covering such basic structure is not hereby sought, but what is sought to be protected by Letters Patent includes the improvements and refinements whereby devices of this character are simplified and generally better adapted to perform the functions required thereof, and the primary object of this invention is to provide stability in a clothesline support.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clothesline support whereby an endless line or cable may be mounted and conveniently tensioned to prevent sagging under the weight of clothes hung thereon.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple clothes supporting means in which the two legs of the line are conveniently spaced and automatically equally tensioned, a single adjusting unit being adapted to allow simultaneous adjustment of the tension of the two major portions of the line.

Another object of this invention is to provide improved anchoring means for the uprights including a heavy mass such as concrete, secured to the lower end of the upright and having incorporated therewith a specially designed guy rod.

And a last object to be specifically mentioned is to provide a clothesline support which is relatively inexpensive andpracticable to manufacture, simple and convenient to use, and which will give generally elficient and durable service.

With these objects definitely in view, this invention resides in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be described in detail hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a material part of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of this improved clothesline support, the portions which will ordinarily be imbedded in the ground being shown in dash lines;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of one of the two units comprising this invention, the view being taken as from the center of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is another side elevational view of the structure illustrated in Figure 2, and showing the anchoring mass, aS well as the elbow and line holding means, in vertical cross-section;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detailed view of the structure;

. Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view of the elbow, and portions of the upright and cross members, the elbow being shown in vertical section, and the figure being adapted to illustrate how a pin is inserted in the elbow to divide the transverse channel therein into two halves, thus limiting the penetration into the elbow of the ends of the said cross members; and,

Figure 6 is a view of the upper portion of the unit which is not made adjustable, that is, the unit illustrated at the left hand side of Figure 1, the elbow in this unit being shown in vertical section.

Similar characters of reference designate similar or identical parts and portions throughout the specification and throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, which drawings represent only one preferred embodimerit of this invention, the tubular upright Ill is anchored at the base thereof in a mass of con.- crete l2 of generally rectangular form and extending on each side of the upright H1 in a direction co-linear with a line drawn through the two uprights ill, it being understood that two rather similar units will be mounted in spaced relation, as indicated in Figure 1. This concrete slab 52 has a central depending portion is and.

the upright It will normally extend to the lower edge of this depending portion M. A guy rod is is provided with a horizontally disposed offset portion I8 which is terminally secured to the upright Ill and embedded within the concrete slab I 2. The upper end of this guy rod i6 is secured through the elbow 20, and may be provided with a transversely disposed pin 22 adapted to contact the upper face of the elbow. The elbow 20 may be rigidly secured, as by welding, to the upper end of the upright ill, the drawings illustrating an elbow formed with a tubular recess for the insertion of the upper end of the uprights. The horizontal arm 24 of the elbow is provided with an axial recess 25 adapted to receive one end of the extensible member 26. It will be noted that this extensible member is exteriorly screw-threaded and that an adjusting nut .28 is provided to coact with this extensible member and to abut the outer end of the portion 24 of the elbow, thus providing for adjustment of the extensible member in a longitudinal direction.

The adjusting nut 28 is preferably provided with a rim 353, and Figure 4 illustrates an adjusting nut having a rim 3!) spaced from the central portion of the nut by a plurality of spokes 32, this form being preferred in order to make the nut easily adjusted by hand.

A pair of cross members 34 and 36 are terminally secured within oppositely disposed tubular recesses in the side of the elbow 29, the ends of the cross members 34 and 36 being frictionally insertable into the elbow and the penetration of these ends is limited by a pin 38 which is screwed into the central part of the elbow so as to divide the said cylindrical aperture into two equal portions. This structure is provided in order to make the cross arms 34 and 36 very easily removable, thus facilitating the removal of the line 40 from the clothesline support, whenever desired. The outer ends of the cross arms 34 and 36 and the extensible member 26 are provided with line holding means, which in the preferred form constitute merely diametrically disposed slots in the ends of these members, as indicated at 42, it being understood that the line 49 will be entrained through these slots, which slots are, of course, all disposed in a horizontal plane.

The other unit of this invention, that is, the unit shown at the left hand end of Fig. 1, is very similar to the unit described in detail above, but the extensible member 2'6 and adjusting nut 28 are deleted and a simple rod member 44, terminally slotted as at 42, is inserted in the horizontally disposed arm of an elbow 46 which corresponds substantially with the elbow 29. It will also be understood that similar cross members 48 will be inserted transversely of this elbow 46.

The operation of this invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection with the above recitation of the objects sought to be achieved by this invention but, in recapitulation, it may be noted that the concrete masses l2 will preferably be imbedded beneath the surface of the ground, and the line 40 will be installed on the device with the extensible member 26 fully retracted, and if necessary, one of the cross members 34 or 36 may be temporarily removed to facilitate the mounting of the line 40 on the other members, whereafter this removed member is replaced and the adjusting nut 28 is turned to provide for the proper tensioning of the line. When it is desired to remove the line from the device, the adjusting nut 28 will ordinarily be first retracted and the line loosened in the other cross members by the removal of one of these cross members.

Though there has been shown a particular embodiment of this invention, this application is not limited to this particular embodiment, but it is desired to include in the scope of this invention the construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions substantially as set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

What is claimed as new and novel and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A clothesline support including an upright, an elbow rigidly secured to the top of said upright, cross members secured to said elbow, an extensible member adjustably mounted in said elbow and normal to and co-planar with said cross members, line securing means on the outer ends of said cross members and said extensible member, and means firmly to anchor said upright, said extensible member being threadedly connected to an adjusting nut and telescopically associated with said elbow, said elbow having a transversely disposed tubular aperture for the removable insertion therein of the two adjacent ends of said cross members.

2. A clothesline support including an upright, an elbow rigidly secured to the top of said upright, cross members secured to said elbow, an extensible member adjustably mounted in said elbow and normal to and co-planar with said cross members, line securing means on the outer ends of said cross members and said extensible member, and means firmly to anchor said up right, said extensible member being threadedly connected to an adjusting nut and telescoping in a recess in said elbow, said elbow having a transversely disposed tubular aperture for the removable insertion therein of the two adjacent ends of said cross members, and means to centrally divide said aperture so that each of said adjacent ends enter the said aperture 9, predetermined distance.

OTTO L. COX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

